LAH was formed in 1933 from Himmler's original Staff Guard, and between then and the end of WW2 became an elite fighting unit of the German army. As part of the Waffen-SS, 1.SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler" was - as its companion divisions - generally found in the brunt of fighting and had a combat reputation of aggressiveness and ruthlessness tempered by a foes' respect of a worthy opponent. Its areas of operation ranged from Poland, France, the then USSR to generally all areas where the German forces served.

Australians fought against LAH in the Greek Campaign where in association with 9th Panzer Division and Großdeutschland, they came through Yugoslavia and captured the Greek stronghold of Monastir and the Klidi Pass - the latter defended by Australian and New Zealand troops with the battle taking place between 10 and 13 April 1941 - and the Klissura Pass which was defended by Greek troops.Commonwealth forces were evacuated by sea at Kalamata to Crete via the Corinth Canal, pursued by the 1st SS.

Lehrbataillion / Kampfgruppe "Von Der Heydte"

The Fallschirmjager - parachute troops - specialised in rapid deployment to the combat areas, and during the first 18 months of WW2 experienced great success in area as diverse as Norway to the Mediterranean and to the Russian Front and Europe.

Later in the war, their use was restricted to ground operations, but this in no way reflected on the spirit and elan that the arm displayed wherever it found its appointed area of operations to exist.

AGS follows the linked careers of one Battalion and one Officer - 1/ FJR3 (became 1/ FJR6 in 1943) and Friedrich August Freiherr Von Der Heydte - their service spanning Crete to the Ardennes, with Africa, Russia and Italy in between.